Myself and three friends always get together for lunch for our birthdays. We always like to try something different or new. This time we chose Maple Grove Inn making a reservation for lunch well in advance, and explaining it was for a birthday celebration.
Although we were seated at the table in front of the fake fire, the room was still chilly. Three of us had pumpkin soup which was quite tasty but not hot enough.
We ordered tea and coffee, none of which were hot enough and a very limited assortment of tea was offered which did not include any herb tea as requested. The teas were served in glass coffee mugs, and some sugar and sugar-substitute
packets were available on the table, but no cream was offered.
Each of us ordered a different item from the verbal menu. One of us ordered an omelette because it was only thing hot on the menu. It arrived nicely presented, but on a very cold plate which had cooled it down to luke-warm at best. The birthday dessert which arrived was a piece of chocolate cake which looked like the corner piece of a long brownie covered with dried-out icing topped with a small scoop of chocolate ice cream. Four forks were brought for us to share the dessert, but no plates so we had to we had to continually pass it around the table to take a bite. We asked if we could have another piece so that at least two of us one one side of the table could share a piece together but were told that was the only piece left and nothing else was offered.
We waited and waited for the bill to be brought and, finally, one of us had to go sit in front of the server while she completed her phone call to ask for the bill.
Our collective impression. was that we were being offered and served leftovers from previous meals for the most part, to include the cake.
For the first time in 16 years of going out for lunch, we did NOT leave a tip.

The main thing I can say about the Maple grove Inn in response to some of the other reviews it that you have to have certain expectations. First here are my responses to other reviews: My wife and I stayed in the Oak Room and yes we did have to slam the door to close it, however, in a 100+ year old house you can expect a few creeks and warps and and sticky doors. To me that all adds to the charm of the place. Yes, the window sills and such could have been a bit cleaner but it sits on 15 acres of trees so that can be expected. I did find the inside of the rooms to be very clean. There may have been some spots on the carpet but there are spots on the carpet in my house! IMHO, if you want immaculate and sterile do not stay in a 100+ year old bed and breakfast, stay in a hotel chain. There was no smell in the room. We went during the early spring so I can not comment on the pool or the gas fireplaces. To me the train was not that bad and I do not recall it running at night. Yes, I admit the grounds were neither pristine nor manicured but to me it was not that bad. We did have a good television in our room. The Maple Grove inn is run by a family and the family does most of the work. The maintenance man (who was the inn keeper while we were there) and the chef are the sons of the owners. Yes, one morning the maintenance man did cook breakfast for us. I spoke with the owner for a while and she stated that she would love to just have the place and as B&B for guests, however that does not pay the bills so they do have to host weddings and meetings and the such.
Now here are my own comments. Yes, there were a few things that were not perfect but when we pointed them out to the staff they were fixed that day. The Oak Room is very spacious and luxurious. The bathroom for the Oak Room was wonderful and had a medium sized Jacuzzi tub in it that was very relaxing. The staff (again mostly the owners or the sons of the owners) were very friendly and helpful. They were very willing to give us recommendations on things to do and places to eat and give us directions. Once the innkeeper even lead us to a place to eat. The breakfasts were wonderful and very filling. The main thing I can say about the staff though is that one night we were the only guests in the house (the owners and sons do not live there) and therefore we were the only people in the house. The innkeeper offered to stay the night (keep in mind he did not live there) if being the only people in the house bothered us. We told him were fine with staying along and that he could go home. However, later that night my wife realized we was very uncomfortable with staying alone in the house so we called the inn-keeper and he left his house and came and spent the night in the inn (even though we had previously told him that it was not necessary). I never got the impression that it was an inconvenience for him.

If you are looking for an immaculately clean and sterile inn where everything this place may not be for you. However, if you are looking for a place with "charm" and excellent service, this is definitely the place to stay.

After reading wildly mixed reviews, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this location was head and shoulders above the other Knoxville bed and breakfast with Maple in its name: the Maplehurst Inn. Maplehurst was much less expensive, but dirty. It is unfortunate that the names are similar. The Maple Grove is a beautiful location.

Just returned from a weekend stay in the most expensive room -the Oak Suite. Although the room was rather large, it needed much work. The room door had to be slammed in order for it to close completely. The carpet had several stains and the room smelled very bad. The bathroom door handle was close to falling off and was in need of a deep cleaning.

The Inn had several broken windows, brick was crumbling, the pool was disgusting, and the reflection pool had an extreme amount of algae. The yard maintenance was virtually nonexistant. Although the yard had been mowed, all bushes needed attention.

There were also linens and cardboard boxes on the porch the entire weekend.

I had booked this room as a surprised for my husbands birthday, and I can definately say we will not be back- nor will I recommend this Inn to anyone.